Lightning Does Strike Twice

Is This Enough?

I made Cas close his eyes before we went inside the apartment, partially because I had no idea what it would look like. I led him inside with my hand pressed against his back, shutting the door behind us.

"Can I open my eyes now? I'm getting kinda nervous."

I laughed, moving his hands from his face so he could see the kitchen and living room. Candles lit up both rooms, and the air smelled like roses and Mediterranean food. The latter was explained by the take out sitting in the living room, but I wasn't sure where the flower scent was coming from. I was hoping it was the candles and Ash didn't lead rose petals to the bedroom or something ridiculous like that. I took Cas's hand when he was still staring in slight shock and took him to the living room where Cas's favorite falafel and gyros were waiting. A quick glance down the hall confirmed that Ash didn't take my request a little too far.

"How did you-" Cas shook his head, trailing off. "You know what? I don't want to know how. Just- Thank you." He pulled me into a kiss before huffing out a quiet laugh. "You don't understand how much I've been craving Ali's."

I put my hands on his waist and pulled him against me, smiling down at him. Not that I had to look very far down. I still wasn't used to how tall he'd gotten over the years. "You've talked about gyros four times this week. I got the hint after Monday."

Cas's cheeks turned a light pink as he ducked his head. "Sorry."

"Hey." When he wouldn't look at me, I tilted his chin so he had to. "You don't have to apologize to me. Ever. Especially if you're trying to apologize for talking about something you like. If it makes you happy, talk about it as much as you want because I love seeing you happy."

"But I feel like I'm being annoying."

"Well, you're not," I told him simply. I kissed him on the cheek and let him go so he could sit on the sofa. "Give me just a minute."

He gave me an odd look but didn't protest while I went into the kitchen. I came back with two wine glasses, which made Cas's confusion turn to nervousness.

"Wine?" Cas asked hesitantly, though he took one of the glasses from me.

"I thought we should celebrate." But there was that look again. "You can have alcohol right? With your treatments, I mean."

Cas stared down into the reflective red surface. "Uh... yeah. It's just that I've never really had any before, at least not that I can remember."

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to, Cas."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I, uh," he laughed, "I just didn't realize I could drink. Legally, I mean. I don't really feel twenty-one. That probably sounds stupid."

"You were in the hospital for three years with memory loss, so I don't blame you for feeling like you're not twenty-one. I mean, I have no excuse but I can't even tell you what the date is most of the time." I ran my thumb over the rim of my glass, leaning back into the sofa. "Last week, I told Sam that I was nineteen. So I get that." Cas laughed a little, which I couldn't help but smile at. I held out my glass for him to tap against his.

"Are we toasting to something?" he asked, but went along with me.

"Absolutely. To you and your health."

Cas grinned. "To you and your research. And to us."

I just watched him adoringly for a moment. "To us," I repeated.

▪▪▪

After finishing our dinner and talking for who knows how long, we ended up laying on the sofa and continuing our quiet conversation. Cas was curled into my side, his head resting on my shoulder where my arm curved around his back and one of his legs thrown over mine. He was draging his foot across my calf in our moment of silence as our conversation took a natural break.